SECTION THREE - THE ENDING OF GLAMOUR - Part 1

[161]

SECTION THREE

THE ENDING OF GLAMOUR

We come now to the
consideration of the third section relating to world glamour. It is difficult
to write clearly about this matter because we are in the midst of its most
concentrated expression—the worst the world has ever seen because glamour,
incident to centuries of greed and selfishness, of aggression and materialism,
has been focussed in a triplicity of nations. It is, therefore, easily to be
seen and most effective in manifestation. Three nations express the three
aspects of world glamour (illusion, glamour and maya) in an amazing manner, and
their powerful assault upon the consciousness of humanity is dependent not only
upon the response of Germany, Japan and Italy to this ancient miasma but also
upon the fact that every nation—United Nations as well as Totalitarian
Nations—are tainted with this universal condition. The freedom of the world is
consequently largely dependent upon those people in every nation who (within
themselves) have moved forward out of one or other of these "glamorous
illusions and mayavic impressions" of the human soul into a state of
awareness wherein they can see the conflict in its wider terms, i.e., as that
existing for them between the Dweller on the Threshold and the Angel of the
PRESENCE.

These people are the
aspirants, disciples and initiates of the world. They are aware of the dualism,
the essential dualism, of the conflict and are not so pre-eminently conscious
of the threefold nature and the differentiated condition of the situation which
underlies the realised dualism. [162] Their
approach to the problem is therefore simpler and, because of this, world
direction lies largely in their hands at this time.

It is right here that
religion has, as a whole, gone astray. I refer to orthodox religion. It has
been preoccupied with the Dweller on the Threshold and the eyes of the
theologian have been held upon the material, phenomenal aspect of life through
fear and its immediacy, and the fact of the Angel has been a theory and a point
of wishful thinking. The balance is being adjusted by the humanitarian attitudes
which are so largely coming into control, irrespective of any theological
trend. These attitudes take their stand upon the belief of the innate rightness
of the human spirit, in the divinity of man, and upon the indestructible nature
of the soul of mankind. This inevitably brings in the concept of the PRESENCE,
or of God Immanent and is the result of the needed revolt against the belief in
God Transcendent. This spiritual revolution was entirely a balancing process
and need cause no basic concern, for God Transcendent eternally exists but can
only be seen and known and correctly approached by God Immanent—immanent in
individual man, in groups and nations, in organised forms and in religion, in
humanity as a whole and in the planetary Life Itself. Humanity is today (and
has been for ages) battling illusion, glamour and maya. Advanced thinkers,
those upon the Probationary Path, upon the Path of Discipleship, and the Path
of Initiation have reached a point where materialism and spirituality, the
Dweller on the Threshold and the Angel of the PRESENCE, and the basic dualism
of manifestation can be seen clearly defined. Because of this clarity of
demarcation, the issues underlying the present world events, the objectives of
the present world-wide struggle, the modes and methods of re-establishing the
spiritual contact so prevalent in Atlantean [163] days
and so long lost, and the recognition of the techniques which can bring in the
new world era and its cultural order can be clearly noted and appraised.

All generalisations admit of
error. It might, however, be said that Germany has focussed in herself world
glamour—the most potent and expressive of the three aspects of glamour. Japan
is manifesting the force of maya—the crudest form of material force. Italy, individualistic
and mentally polarised, is the expression of world illusion. The United
Nations, with all their faults, limitations, weaknesses and nationalisms, are
focussing the conflict between the Dweller and the Angel, and thus the three
forms of glamour and the final form of the conflict between the spiritual ideal
and its material opponent are appearing simultaneously. The United Nations are,
however, gradually and most decisively throwing the weight of their effort and
aspiration on to the side of the Angel, thus restoring the lost balance and
slowly producing on a planetary scale those attributes and conditions which
will eventually dispel illusion, dissipate glamour and devitalise the prevalent
maya. This they are doing by the increased clear thinking of the general public
of all the nations, bound together to conquer the three Axis Powers, by their
growing ability to conceive ideas in terms of the whole, in terms of a
desirable world order or federation, and their capacity to discriminate between
the Forces of Light and the potency of evil or materialism.

The work being done by those
who see the world stage as the arena for the conflict between the Dweller on
the Threshold and the Angel of the PRESENCE might be itemised as:

1. The producing of those world
conditions in which the Forces of Light can overcome the Forces of Evil. This
they do by the weight of their armed forces, plus their clear insight.

[164]

2. The educating of humanity
in the distinction between:

a. Spirituality and
materialism, pointing to the differing goals of the combatant forces.

b. Sharing and greed,
outlining a future world wherein the Four Freedoms will be dominant and all
will have that which is needed for right living-processes.

c. Light and dark,
demonstrating the difference between an illumined future of liberty and
opportunity, and the dark future of slavery.

d. Fellowship and separation,
indicating a world order where racial hatreds, caste distinctions and religious
differences will form no barrier to international understanding, and the Axis
order of master races, determined religious attitudes, and enslaved peoples.

e. The whole and the part,
pointing to the time which is approaching (under the evolutionary urge of
spirit) wherein the part or the point of life assumes its responsibility for
the whole, and the whole exists for the good of the part.

The dark aspect has been
brought about by ages of glamour. The light is being emphasised and made clear
by the world aspirants and disciples who by their attitudes, their actions,
their writings and their utterances are bringing the light into dark places.

3. Preparing the way for the
three spiritual energies which will sweep humanity into an era of
comprehension, leading to a focussed mental clarification of men's minds
throughout the world. These three imminent energies are:

[165]

a. The energy of the
intuition which will gradually dispel world illusion, and produce
automatically a great augmentation of the ranks of the initiates.

b. The activity of light
which will dissipate, by the energy of illumination, the world glamour
and bring many thousands on to the Path of Discipleship.

c. The energy of
inspiration which will bring about, through the medium of its sweeping
potency, the devitalisation or the removal, as by a wind, of the attractive
power of maya or substance. This will release untold thousands on to the Path
of Probation.

4. Releasing new life into
the planet through the medium of every possible agency. The first step towards
this release is the proving that the power of materialism is broken by the
complete defeat of the Axis Powers and, secondly, by the ability of the United
Nations to demonstrate (when this has been done) the potency of the spiritual
values by their constructive undertakings to restore world order and to lay
those foundations which will guarantee a better and more spiritual way of life.
These constructive attitudes and undertakings must be assumed individually by
every person, and by nations as collective wholes. The first is being
undertaken at this time. The second remains as yet to be done.

5. Bringing home to the
nations of the world the truths taught by the Buddha, the Lord of Light, and
the Christ, the Lord of Love. In this connection it might be pointed out that
basically:

a. The Axis nations need to
grasp the teaching of the Buddha as He enunciated it in the Four Noble [166] Truths; they need to realise that the cause of all
sorrow and woe is desire—desire for that which is material.

b. The United Nations need to
learn to apply the Law of Love as enunciated in the life of Christ and to
express the truth that "no man liveth unto himself" and no nation
either, and that the goal of all human effort is loving understanding,
prompted by a programme of love for the whole.

If the lives and teachings of
these two great Avatars can be comprehended and wrought out anew in the lives
of men today, in the world of human affairs, in the realm of human thinking and
in the arena of daily living, the present world order (which is today largely
disorder) can be so modified and changed that a new world and a new race of men
can gradually come into being. Renunciation and the use of the sacrificial will
should be the keynote for the interim period after the war, prior to the
inauguration of the New Age.

Students need to remember
that all manifestations and every point of crisis are symbolised by the ancient
symbol of a point within the circle, the focus of power within a sphere of
influence or aura. So it is today with the entire problem of ending the world
glamour and illusion which fundamentally lie behind the present acute situation
and world catastrophe. The possibility of such a dispelling and dissipation is
definitely centred in the two Avatars, the Buddha and the Christ.

Within the world of
glamour—the world of the astral plane and of the emotions—appeared a point of
light. The Lord of Light, the Buddha, undertook to focus in Himself the
illumination which would eventually make possible the dissipation of glamour.
Within the world of illusion—the world of the mental plane—appeared the Christ,
the Lord [167] of Love Himself, Who embodied in Himself the power of
the attractive will of God. He undertook to dispel illusion by drawing
to Himself (by the potency of love) the hearts of all men, and stated this
determination in the words, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto
Me." (John 12:32) From the point they then will have reached, the world of
spiritual perception, of truth and of divine ideas will stand revealed. The
result will be the disappearing of illusion.

The combined work of these
two great Sons of God, concentrated through the world disciples and through
Their initiates must and will inevitably shatter illusion and dispel
glamour—the one by the intuitive recognition of reality by minds attuned to it,
and the other by the pouring in of the light of reason. The Buddha made the
first planetary effort to dissipate world glamour; the Christ made the first
planetary effort towards the dispelling of illusion. Their work must now be
intelligently carried forward by a humanity wise enough to recognise its
dharma. Men are being rapidly disillusioned and will consequently see more
clearly. The world glamour is being steadily removed from the ways of men.
These two developments have been brought about by the incoming new ideas,
focussed through the world intuitives and released to the general public by the
world thinkers. It has been also largely aided by the well-nigh unconscious,
but none the less real, recognition of the true meaning of these Four Noble
Truths by the masses. Disillusioned and de-glamoured (if I may use such a term),
humanity awaits the coming revelation. This revelation will be brought about by
the combined efforts of the Buddha and the Christ. All that we can foresee or
foretell anent that revelation is that some potent and far-reaching results
will be achieved by the merging of light and love, and by the reaction of
"lighted substance to the attractive power of love." In this sentence
I have given those who can understand [168] a
profound and useful hint as to the method and purpose of the undertaking which was
staged for the June Full Moon, 1942. I have also given a clue to the true
understanding of the work of these Avatars—a thing hitherto quite unrealised.
It might be added that when an appreciation of the meaning of the words
"transfiguration of a human being" is gained, the realisation will
come that when "the body is full of light" then "in that light
shall we see LIGHT." This means that when the personality has reached a
point of purification, of dedication and of illumination, then the attractive
power of the soul (whose nature is love and understanding) can function, and
fusion of these two will take place. This is what the Christ proved and
demonstrated.

When the work of the Buddha
(or the embodied buddhic principle) is consummated in the aspiring disciple and
in his integrated personality, then the full expression of the work of the
Christ (the embodied principle of love) can also be consummated and both these
potencies—light and love—will find radiant expression in the transfigured
disciple. What is true, therefore, of the individual is true also of humanity
as a whole, and today humanity (having reached maturity) can "enter into
realisation" and consciously take part in the work of enlightenment and of
spiritual, loving activity. The practical effects of this process will be the
dissipation of glamour and the release of the human spirit from the thraldom of
matter; it will produce, also, the dispelling of illusion and the recognition
of truth as it exists in the consciousness of those who are polarised in the
"awareness of the Christ."

This is necessarily no rapid
process but is an ordered and regulated procedure, sure in its eventual success
but relatively slow also in its establishment and sequential process. This
process was initiated upon the astral plane [169] by
the Buddha, and on the mental plane when Christ manifested on Earth. It
indicated the approaching maturity of humanity. The process has been slowly
gathering momentum as these two great Beings have gathered around Them Their
disciples and initiates during the past two thousand years. It has reached a
point of intensive usefulness as the channel of communication between Shamballa
and the Hierarchy has been opened and enlarged, and as the contact between
these two great Centres and Humanity has been more firmly established.

At the June Full Moon, 1942,
the first test as to the directness of the communication between the Centre
where the Will of God holds sway, the Centre where the Love of God rules, and
the Centre where there is intelligent expectancy was made. The medium of the
test was the united effort of the Christ, of the Buddha, and of those who
responded to Their blended influence. This test had to be carried out in the
midst of the terrific onslaught of the powers of evil and was extended over the
two weeks beginning on the day of the Full Moon (May 30th 1942) and ending on
June 15th 1942. There was a great concentration of the Spiritual Forces at that
time, and the use of a special Invocation (one which humanity itself may not use),
but the success or failure of the test was, in the last analysis, determined by
mankind itself.

You may feel, though wrongly,
that not enough people know about or understand the nature of the opportunity
or what is transpiring. But the success of such a test is not dependent upon
the esoteric knowledge of the few, the relatively few, to whom the facts and
the information have been partially imparted. It is dependent also upon the
tendency of the many who unconsciously aspire towards the spiritual realities,
who seek for a new and better way of life for all, who desire the good of the
whole and whose [170]
longing and desire is for a true
experience of goodness, of right human relations and of spiritual enterprise
among men. Their name is Legion and they are to be found in every nation.

When the Will of God,
expressed in Shamballa and focussed in the Buddha, the Love of God, expressed
in the Hierarchy and focussed through the Christ, and the intelligent desire of
humanity, focussed through the world disciples, the world aspirants and the men
of goodwill are all brought into line—either consciously or unconsciously—then
a great re-orientation can and will take place. This event is something that can
happen.

The first result will be the
illumination of the astral plane and the beginning of the process which will
dissipate glamour; the second result will be the irradiation of the mental
plane and the dispelling of all past illusions and the gradual revelation of
the new truths of which all past ideals and so-called formulations of truth
have only been the signposts. Ponder on that statement. The signpost indicates
the way to go; it does not reveal the goal. It is indicative but not
conclusive. So with all truth up to the present time.

The demand is, therefore, for
knowers and for those whose minds and hearts are open; who are free from
preconceived ideas fanatically held, and from ancient idealisms which must be
recognised as only partial indications of great unrealised truths—truths which
can be realised in great measure and for the first time IF the lessons of the
present world situation and the catastrophe of the war are duly learned and the
sacrificial will is called into play.

I have made this practical
application and the immediate illustration of the teaching anent glamour,
illusion and maya because the whole world problem has reached a crisis today
and because its clarification will be the outstanding theme [171] of all progress—educational, religious and
economic—until 2025 A.D.

In the section with which we
are now concerned we shall consider the practical ways in which illusion,
glamour and the power of maya can be brought to an end in the life of the
individual, and eventually in the life of nations and finally in the world.
Always we must begin with the unity of life, the Microcosm; then, having
grasped process and progress in connection with the individual, the idea can
then be extended to the group, the organisation, the nation, and to humanity as
a whole. Thus gradually we shall approach the great Idea to which we give the
name of God, the Macrocosm.

We shall in this section deal
with techniques, and these might be summarised as follows:

1. The Technique of the
Presence. By means of this technique,
the soul assumes control of the integrated personality and of its relations,
horizontal and vertical. This technique involves the unfolding of the flower of
the intuition, dispelling illusion, revealing the Angel, indicating the
Presence, and opening up to the disciple the world of ideas and the door of the
higher initiations. Through the disciple's grasp and application of these
divine ideas or seed thoughts, he becomes initiate and the third initiation
becomes possible as an immediate goal. The intuition is the applied power of
transfiguration. This technique is related to the little known yoga called
Agni Yoga or the yoga of fire.

2. The Technique of Light. By means of this technique, the illumined mind
assumes control over the astral or emotional body and dissipates glamour. When
light pours in, glamour fades out. Illumination dominates and the vision [172] of reality can be seen. This technique is related to
Raja Yoga and its goal is the second initiation; it produces ability to tread
the Path of Discipleship, and enables the man to "live a life, enlightened
by divinity." Illumination is the applied power of transformation.

3. The Technique of
Indifference. By means of this
technique, maya is ended; for the control of the purified astral vehicle is
consciously and technically brought into activity, producing the freeing of the
energies of the etheric body from the control of matter or force-substance, and
bringing men in large numbers on to the Probationary Path. Where there is
"divine indifference" to the call or pull of matter, then inspiration
becomes possible. This technique is related to Karma Yoga in its most practical
form and the use of matter with complete impersonality. The goal of this
technique is the first initiation, which enables man to "live a life, inspired
by God." Inspiration is the applied power of transmission.

1. THE TECHNIQUE OF THE PRESENCE

As we enter upon our
consideration of this subject, the student has three things to bear in mind:
the existence of the Intuition, the fact of Illusion, and the overshadowing
Presence. This Presence is revealed by the intuition through the medium of the
Angel and, when revealed and recognised, brings illusion to an end.

The story of illusion is one
which must not be confounded with glamour; illusion is related to the whole
process of revelation. Glamour can be and often is related to the distortion of
that which has been revealed, but it must be borne in mind that illusion is
primarily concerned with the reaction of the mind to the unfolding revelation, [173] as the soul registers it and seeks to impress it on
the highest aspect of the personal lower self. Illusion is, therefore, the
failure of the mind correctly to register, to interpret or translate that which
has been transmitted and it is consequently a sin (if you care for that word)
of the intelligent and highly developed people, of those who stand on the Path
and who are in process of becoming rightly oriented; it is also a sin of
accepted disciples as they seek to expand their consciousness in response to
soul contact. When they have "seen through illusion" (and I use this
phrase in its esoteric sense) then they are ready for the third initiation.

Our theme is, therefore, the
theme of revelation and I would like to make some general remarks upon
the subject, because thereby the problem of world illusion can be clarified and
incidentally individual illusion also.

The unfoldment of human
awareness has been progressive down the ages, and has been dependent upon two
major and related factors:

1. The factor of the gradual
development of the human mind through the processes of evolution itself. This
might be regarded as the innate capacity of that which we call the mind, the
chitta, or mind stuff, to become more and more sensitive to the impact of the
phenomenal world, and to the impression from the higher worlds of being. The
mind is the instrument which registers the process of "becoming" but
it is also—during the later stages of human unfoldment—capable of registering
the nature or function of being. Becoming is revealed through the medium
of the intellect; Being, through the medium of the intuition. In all study of
illusion, the instrumental nature of the mind must be remembered and its power
to register accurately, to interpret [174] and
transmit knowledge coming from the world of phenomena and wisdom from the realm
of the soul.

2. The factor of the method
whereby humanity is made aware of that which is not immediately apparent. This
is the method or process of what has been called "imposed revelation"
or the impression conveyed to minds capable of reception of those ideas,
beings, plans and purposes which exist behind the scenes, so to speak, and
which are (in the last analysis) the factors which determine and condition the
world process. These revelations or subjective, vital impressions are revealed
by the intuition and have nothing to do with the knowledges, impressions and
impacts which are related to the three worlds of human evolution, except in so
far that (when grasped and apprehended) they have steadily transformed man's
way of living, revealed to him his goals, and indicated his true nature. The
revelations given throughout the ages and impressed on the minds of those
trained to receive them deal with the great universals, are concerned with the
whole, and lead to a developed appreciation of the oneness of life and with
hylozoistic expression.

Two paralleling processes
have produced humanity and its civilisation: One is the evolutionary process
itself whereby the mind of the individual has been gradually unfolded until it
becomes the dominant aspect in the personality; and at the same time a graded,
wisely imparted series of revelations which have led humanity as a whole nearer
to the inevitable apprehension of being; they have led him steadily away from
identification with form and into those states of consciousness which are
super-normal from the ordinary human angle but entirely normal from the
spiritual.

[175]

Putting this concept
specifically into occult terminology: Individuality has led to the
steady perfecting of the mind with its perception, apprehension, analysis and
interpretation whilst initiation, through the growth of the intuition,
brings about (when the mental perfecting process has reached a relatively high
degree of development) the apprehension of the world of spiritual values, of
unified being and of intuitive understanding. This involves a consequent moving
of the point of individual focus out of the world of phenomena into the world
of reality. The lower use of the mind and its processes of unfoldment have
produced illusion whilst the unfoldment of the higher mind and, later, its use
as the transmitter of the intuition and of the higher revelation, will produce
the transfiguration of the three worlds of phenomena in terms of the world of
being.

Illusion is frequently
misinterpreted and misapplied mental perception of truth. It has naught to do
with the mental phase of glamour, though illusion can be carried down into the
world of feeling and become glamour. When this happens, its potency is
exceedingly great because a thoughtform has become an entity, with vital power,
and the magnetic power of feeling is added to the cold form of thought. Ponder
on this. But at the stage with which we are now dealing, which is that of pure
illusion, a revelation has precipitated upon the mental plane and—owing to
failure rightly to apprehend and interpret it or to apply it usefully—it has
developed into an illusion and enters upon a career of deception, of
crystallisation and of misinformation.

The theme of this technique
is, therefore, concerned primarily with:

1. The process of
revelation. This process has been and
today is the main testimony and guarantee of the existence, [176] behind the scenes of the phenomenal life, of a
revealing Group or Agency whose task is of a triple nature:

a. To gauge the unfoldment of
the human consciousness and to meet its constant appeal and demand for further
light and knowledge.

b. To judge what is the next
needed revelation and what form it should take, through what medium it should
emerge, and where and when it should appear.

c. To ascertain with what
obstructions, hindrances, and preconceived ideas the new incoming revelation
will have to contend.

2. The fact of the
Presence. This Presence is the
impelling force behind all revelation and is in reality God Immanent, striving
ever for recognition and Itself impelled thereto by the fact of God
Transcendent.

3. The influence of the
Angel, who is the individualised seed
of consciousness through whom, after due growth and response of the personal
lower self, will come the revelation of the Presence. All true revelation is
concerned with the unfolding glory of divinity in some field of expression,
thereby testifying to the latent hidden Presence.

4. The reaction of the
intuitives throughout the world to
that revelation and the form in which they present it to the world thinkers.
These latter are ever the first to appreciate and appropriate the new truth.
The intuitives present the next phase of truth in a relatively pure form even
though at the time of presentation it may be symbolically veiled.

[177]

5. The response of the
thinking world to the presented
truth. It is at this point that illusion appears and misinterpretation and
misrepresentation take place. These untrue interpretations of revealed truth,
when they have lasted long enough and have acquired momentum, add to the
general illusion and become part of it and thus feed and are fed by the world
illusion. This is the built-up illusory form of thought, developed down the
ages, which controls so much of the mass belief. When the revelation reaches
this stage, the mass of men become involved; they recognise the illusion as the
truth; they regard this illusion as reality; they fail to grasp the
significance of the veiled, symbolically presented revelation but confuse it
with the illusory presentation, and thus the intuitively perceived revelation
becomes a distorted, twisted doctrine.

Theological interpretations
and dogmas fall into this category and there ensues a re-enactment of the
ancient drama of the blind leading the blind, to which Christ referred as He
faced the theologians of His time.

The above statements are true
of all revelation as it comes forth from the emanating centre of light, whether
they concern so-called religious truth or scientific discoveries or the great
standard of spiritual values whereby advanced humanity of both hemispheres seek
to live and which, from time to time, move on a step in significance and in
importance.

a. Intuition dispels Individual Illusion

Today we have reached a
crisis in the field of human apprehension and can now enter into a new era
wherein illusion can be dispelled and thinkers can begin to register accurately
and without misapprehension that which the intuitives convey to them. This
statement does not as yet apply to the [178] general
public. It will be a long time before they will respond without illusion,
because illusion is based upon the thoughtform-building activity of the lower
mind. The masses are just beginning to use that lower mind and illusion is,
therefore, for them a necessary stage of testing and training and one through
which they must pass or they will lose much valuable experience, leaving
undeveloped their powers of discrimination. This is a point which all teachers
of occultism should have in mind. It is essential consequently that the masses
are taught the significance of illusion and be trained to see and choose the kernel
of pure truth in any presentation of truth with which they may be confronted.
It is essential likewise that the world intuitives learn to use and control and
understand the faculty of spiritual perception, of divine isolation and
appropriate response which characterises the intuition. This they can do
through the practice of the Technique of the Presence, but not as it is usually
taught and presented.

Perhaps I shall make my
meaning clearer if I state that this technique falls into certain scientific lines
or modes of work, for which much of the training given in schools of true
meditation and in the Raja Yoga systems have prepared the aspirant. These
stages begin where the usual formulas leave off, and pre-suppose facility in
approach to the Angel or the soul, and an ability to raise the consciousness to
a point of soul fusion. I will list the processes or stages as follows:

1. The evocation of the stage
of tension. This is basic and essential. It is a tension brought about by
complete control of the personal self so that it is "fitted for contact
with the real."

2. The achieving of a state
of fusion with the soul or with the Angel which guards the approach to the Path
of the Higher Evolution.

[179]

3.The holding of the mind
steady in the light of the soul, which remains the attitude of the lower self
for the entire remaining period of work, held at the point of tension by the
soul and not by an effort of the personality. The soul undertakes this holding
when the personal self has done its utmost to achieve the desired tension.

These are the three
preliminary steps for which the practice of alignment should have prepared the
student of the higher mysteries. These steps must precede all effort to develop
the intuition, and this may take several months (or even years) of careful
preparation. Fire is the symbol of the mind and these are the first three
stages of the Agni Yoga discipline or of the yoga of fire for which Raja Yoga
has prepared the student.

Next come six more stages in
the Technique, and these must be thoroughly understood and form the basis of
prolonged brooding and intelligent reflection, carried on whilst the daily
avocations and duties are being performed and not carried out at certain set
times. The trained intuitive or disciple lives ever the dual life of mundane
activity and of intense and simultaneous spiritual reflection. This will be the
outstanding characteristic of the Western disciple in contradistinction to the
Eastern disciple who escapes from life into the silent places and away from the
pressures of daily living and constant contact with others. The task of the
Western disciple is much harder, but that which he will prove to himself and to
the world as a whole will be still higher. This is to be expected if the
evolutionary process means anything. The Western races must move forward into
spiritual supremacy, without obliterating the Eastern contribution, and the
functioning of the Law of Rebirth holds the clue to this and demonstrates this
necessity. The [180]
tide of life moves from East to West
as moves the sun, and those who in past centuries struck the note of Eastern
mysticism must strike and are now striking the note of Western occultism.
Therefore, the following stages must follow upon the three earlier. We will
continue with the numbering as given, for what I here suggest is a formula for
a more advanced meditation attitude. I said not form.

4. Definite and sustained
effort to sense the Presence throughout the Universe in all forms and in all
presentations of truth. This could be expressed in the words: "the effort
to isolate the germ or seed of divinity which has brought all forms into
being." I would point out that this is not the attainment of a loving
attitude and a sentimental approach to all people and circumstances. That is
the mystical way and though not intended to be negated in the disciple's life,
is not used at this time in the process of effective approach. It is the effort
primarily to see in the light which the Angel radiates the point of
light behind all phenomenal appearances. This is, therefore, the transference
of the mystical vision to the higher levels of awareness. It is not the vision
of the soul but the vision or the spiritual sensing of that which the light of
the soul can aid in revealing. The flickering soul light in the personal self
has enabled the disciple to see the vision of the soul and in that light to
reach union with the soul, even if only temporarily. Now the greater light of
the soul becomes focussed like a radiant sun and it reveals in its turn a still
more stupendous vision—that of the Presence, of which the Angel is the
guarantee and promise. As the light of the Moon is the guarantee that the light
of the Sun exists, so the light of the Sun is the guarantee, did you but know it,
of a still greater light.

[181]

5. Then, having sensed the
Presence—not theoretically but in vibrating response to its Existence—there
next comes the stage of the ascertaining of the Purpose. Hope of identification
with the purpose lies too far ahead even for the average initiate, under the
status of Master. With that unattainable stage (for us) we are not concerned.
But we are concerned with the effort to achieve an understanding of that which
through the medium of form is seeking to embody the high purpose at any
particular point in the evolutionary cycle. This is possible and has been
achieved down the ages by those who have rightly approached and duly reflected
upon the Way of the Higher Evolution. This Way is revealed to the disciple,
e'en though it may not concern the intuitive message which he may bring back
from his high adventure.

6. He then carries some world
problem, some design which his mind has evolved or his heart desired for the
helping of humanity into what is esoterically called "the triple light of
the intuition." This light is formed by the blending of the light of the
personal self, focussed in the mind, the light of the soul, focussed in the
Angel, and the universal light which the Presence emits; this, when done with
facility through concentration and long practice, will produce two results:

a. There will suddenly dawn
upon the disciple's waiting mind (which still remains the agent of reception)
the answer to his problem, the clue to what is needed to bring relief to
humanity, the information desired which, when applied, will unlock some door in
the realm of science, psychology or religion. This door, when opened, will
bring relief or release to many. As before I have told you, the intuition is
never concerned [182]
with individual problems or
enquiries, as so many self-centred aspirants think. It is purely impersonal and
only applicable to humanity in a synthetic sense.

b. The "intruding agent
of light" (as the Old Commentary calls these adventuring
intuitives) is recognised as one to whom can be entrusted some revelation, some
new impartation of truth, some significant expansion from a seed of truth
already given to the race. He then sees a vision, hears a voice, registers a
message, or—highest form of all—he becomes a channel of power and light to the
world, a conscious Embodiment of divinity, or a Custodian of a divine
principle. These forms constitute true revelation, imparted or embodied; they
are still rare but will increasingly be developed in humanity.

7. The next few stages are
called, in preparation for the revelation:

a. The relinquishing of the
Higher Way.

b. The return to the Angel,
or a refocussing in the soul.

c. A pause or interlude for
constructive thinking, under the influence of the Angel.

d. The turning of the mind to
the formulation of those forms of thought which must embody the revelation.

e. Then again a pause which
is called "the pause preceding presentation."

8. The presentation of the
revelation or of the imparted truth and its precipitation into the world of
illusion comes next. In that world of illusion, it undergoes the "fiery
ordeal" wherein "some of the fire within that which is revealed wings
its way back to the source from whence it came; some of it serves to destroy
the revealer, [183]
and some to burn those who recognise
the revelation." This is a phase of Agni Yoga which, as you can see, is
only for those who can penetrate beyond the Angel into the place "where
fire dwelleth," and where God, the Presence, functions as a consuming fire
and waits for the hour of total revelation. This is a symbolic rendering of a
great truth. In the case of the individual initiate, the third initiation, the
Transfiguration, marks the consummation of the process. Only glory then is
seen: only the voice of the Presence is heard and union with the past, the
present and the future is reached.

9. The succumbing of the
revelation to the prevailing illusion, its descent into the world of glamour,
and its subsequent disappearance as a revelation and its emergence as a
doctrine. But, in the meantime, humanity has been helped and led forward; the
intuitives continue to work and the inflow of that which is to be revealed
never ceases.

This basic technique
underlies both primary and secondary revelations. In the case of the first, the
time cycle is long; in the second, the time cycle is short. A very good
instance of this process is demonstrated by one of the secondary points of
revelation in connection with the teaching which emanated from the Hierarchy
(the Custodian of secondary revelations, as Shamballa is of primary) fifty
years ago and which took the form of The Secret Doctrine. H.P.B. was the
"penetrating, sensing, appropriating intuitive." The revelation she
conveyed followed the accustomed routine of all secondary revelation from the
Source to the outer plane. There the minds of men, veiled by illusion and
clouded by glamour, formulated it into an inelastic doctrine, recognising no
further revelation and holding steadily—many of the theosophical groups—that The
Secret Doctrine was a final [184] revelation
and that naught must be recognised but that book and naught deemed correct but
their interpretations of that book. If they are correct, then evolutionary
revelation is ended and the plight of humanity is hard indeed.

Even the neophyte upon the
way of the intuition can begin to develop in himself the power to recognise
that which the lower mind cannot give him. Some thought of revealing potency,
to be used for the helping of the many, may drop into his mind; some new light upon
an old, old truth may penetrate, releasing the truth from the trammels of
orthodoxy, thus illumining his consciousness. This he must use for all and not
for himself alone. Little by little, he learns the way into the world of the
intuition; day by day, and year by year, he becomes more sensitive to divine
Ideas and more apt in appropriating them wisely for the use of his fellowmen.

The hope of the world and the
dispelling of illusion lies in the development of intuitives and their
conscious training. There are many natural intuitives whose work is a blend of
the higher psychism with flashes of true intuition. There must be the training
of the exact intuitive. Paralleling their intuitive response and their effort
to precipitate their intuition into the world of human thought, there must also
be the steady development of the human mind so that it can grasp and apprehend
what is projected, and in this too lies the hope of the race.

b. Group Intuition dispels World Illusion

Today the world is full of
illusions, many of them veiled under the form of idealisms; it is full of
wishful thinking and planning, and even though much of this is rightly oriented
and expresses the fixed determination of the intelligentsia to create better
living conditions for the entire population [185] of
the world, the question arises: Is there in the sum total of this wishful
thinking enough of the essential dynamic livingness which will carry it down
into physical demonstration and factual expression and thus truly meet human
need? I would point out that the two greatest revealing Agents Who have ever
come to Earth within the range of modern history made the following simple
revelations to humanity:

1. The cause of all human
suffering is desire and personal selfishness. Give up desire and you will be
free.

2. There is a way of
liberation and it leads to illumination.

3. It profits a man nothing
to gain the whole world and lose his soul.

4. Every human being is a Son
of God.

5. There is a way of
liberation and it is the way of love and sacrifice.

The lives of these Revealers
were symbolic representations of that which They taught, and the rest of Their
teaching but an extension of Their central themes. Their contribution was an
integral part of the general revelation of the ages which has led men from the
primitive state of human existence to the complex state of modern civilisation.
This general revelation can be called the Revelation of the Path which leads
out of form to the Centre of all life; the purity of this revelation has been
preserved down the ages by a small handful of disciples, initiates and true
esotericists who have always been present upon the Earth—defending the
simplicity of that teaching, seeking for those who could respond to and
recognise the germ or seed of truth, and training men to take Their place and
to tread the way of intuitive perception. One of the major tasks of the
Hierarchy is to seek for and find those who are sensitive to revelation [186] and whose minds are trained so that they can formulate
the emerging truths in such a way that they reach the ears of the world
thinkers, relatively unchanged. All revelation, however, when put into words
and word forms, loses something of its divine clarity.

Much of the revelation of the
past has come along the lines of the religious impulse and, as the illusion has
deepened and grown in time, the original simplicity (as it was conveyed by its
Revealers) has been lost. All basic revelations are presented in the simplest forms.
Accretion after accretion crept in; the minds of men made the teaching complex
through their mental dissertations until the great theological systems were
built up which we call, for instance, the Christian Church and the Buddhist
system. Their Founders would have much difficulty in recognising the two or
three fundamental and divine facts or truths which They sought to reveal and
emphasise, so great is the mantle of illusion which has been thrown over the
simple pronouncements of the Christ and of the Buddha. The vast cathedrals and
the pompous ceremonies of the orthodox are far removed from the humble way of
the life of the Christ, the Master of all the Masters and the Teacher alike of
angels and of men, and from the simplicity of His present way of life as He
watches and waits for the return of His people to the simple way of spiritual
realisation.

So great has been the
illusion that in the West today men talk of the "temporal power of the
Catholic Church"; the Protestant Churches are split up into warring
factions; the Christian Science Church is known for its ability to amass money
and to teach its adherents to do so and to achieve temporary good health; the
Greek Orthodox Church was corrupt throughout, and only the simple faith of the
uncultured and the poor has preserved any semblance of the truth in its
original simple form. They have no ability for [187] high sounding theological discussions, but they do
believe that God is love—just simply that—that there is a way which leads to
peace and light, and that if they deny their own material desires they are
pleasing God. I am, I know, widely generalising, brother of mine, for I do know
also that there are wise and good Christians and churchmen within the
theological systems; these, however, spend not their time in theological
discussions but in loving their fellowmen, and this they do because they love
Christ and all for which He stands. They are not interested in building great
churches of stone and marble and in gathering together the money needed for
their support; they are interested to gather out those who form the true Church
upon the inner spiritual plane and in helping them to walk in the light.

The illusion of power, the
illusion of superiority, taints them not. After the world crisis is over,
Churchmen everywhere will not rest until they can discover how to penetrate
through the illusion of doctrine and dogma which engulfs them, and find their
way back to Christ and His simple message which has in it the power to save the
world, if recognised and practised.

Much of the true revelation
since the time of Christ has come to the world along the line of science. The
presentation, for instance, of material substance (scientifically proven) as
essentially only a form of energy was as great a revelation as any given by the
Christ or the Buddha. It completely revolutionised men's thinking and
was—little as you may think it—a major blow struck at the Great Illusion. It
related energy to force, form to life, and man to God and held the secret of
transformation, transmutation and transfiguration. The revelations of science
when basic and fundamental are as divine as those of religion, but both have
been prostituted to meet human demand. The era is [188] close at hand when science will bend every effort to
heal humanity's sores and build a better and happier world.

The revelations of science,
though focussed often through one man or woman, are more specifically the
result of group endeavour and of trained group activity than are the
revelations of religion, so called. Revelation, therefore, comes in two ways:

1. Through the effort,
aspiration and achievement of one man who is so close to the Hierarchy and so
imbued with conscious divinity that he can receive the message direct from the
central divine Source. He has joined the ranks of the Great Intuitives and
works freely in the world of divine Ideas. He knows His mission clearly; He
chooses His sphere of activity with deliberation and isolates the truth or
truths which He deems appropriate to the need of the time. He comes forth as a
Messenger of the Most High, leads a dramatic and arresting life of service and
symbolises in His life-events certain basic truths which have already been
revealed but which He pictorially re-enacts. He epitomises in Himself the
revelations of the past, and to them adds His Own contribution of the new
revelation which it is His specific function to present to the world.

2. Through the effort of a
group of seekers, such as the scientific investigators in every country, who together
are searching for light on the problems of manifestation or for some means to
alleviate human suffering, a revelation comes. The effort of such a group often
lifts upon the wings of its unrealised aspiration some one man who can then
penetrate into the world of divine Ideas and there find the longed for cure or
key and thus he intuitively discovers a long sought secret. The discovery, [189] when of the first rank, is as much a revelation as the
truths presented by the World Teachers. Who shall say that the statement that
God is Love is of more value than the statement that All is Energy?